New community conversation opens on refined masterplan for Greyfriars, Northampton

People across West Northamptonshire are invited to share their views on the refined masterplan for the future of Greyfriars, as ECF (a partnership between Homes England and L&G and Muse) launches its community conversation on shape the plans for Northampton town centre’s largest brownfield opportuni...

Your insights will continue to help shape our design in advance of a planning submission later in the year, so make sure to have your say via our survey by Sunday 24 May.

ECF is working in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council to unlock up to 1,200 new homes, alongside student accommodation, workspaces, and mix of new businesses, leisure, and community space.

The Greyfriars vision also includes new landscaped public spaces connecting the local area back into the town centre alongside a revitalised cultural offer, centred on the refurbishment of the Grade II listed The Parade – which includes the Corn Exchange.

Last autumn, hundreds of individuals and organisations across Northampton provided feedback on ECF’s emerging ideas for Greyfriars. The team has been busy using this feedback to refine the plans and is now welcoming further feedback ahead of a planning application being submitted later this year.

Greyfriars represents a significant chance to reshape Northampton town centre as part of a wider economic strategy. By delivering new homes, attractive commercial and leisure opportunities, and vibrant public spaces, we can boost footfall, and support local businesses as part of an all day and evening destination.

Greyfriars is the most important regeneration opportunity in Northampton. Our focus is on delivering a vision which creates new homes, brings activity back into the town centre, and reflects the priorities of the local community.
Working in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council, we are making strong progress towards making this a reality and look forward to engaging with residents and showcasing our progress.Glyn Mutton, Development Director at ECF

You can meet the project team at various events planned during the consultation period, which will all be held at The Gatherings, in the upper mall of the Grosvenor Centre:

• Saturday 25 April from 10am-4pm
• Saturday 2 May from 10am-4pm
• Tuesday 12 May from 12pm-6pm

Greyfriars represents a truly once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the heart of Northampton. The scale of what’s possible here is extraordinary, from new homes and jobs to major cultural, leisure and public spaces that will transform how people live, work, and spend time in our town centre.
This is a pivotal moment, and we want our communities to be at the centre of it. I strongly encourage residents, businesses and local groups to come along to our events, speak to the team, and complete the survey. Your views will help shape a future Greyfriars that genuinely reflects the ambitions and priorities of Northampton. Please get involved and help us make the most of this remarkable opportunity.Councillor James Petter, Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure at West Northamptonshire Council

This community conversation follows a series of community events that have run since autumn 2025, helping inform our proposals. A hybrid planning application will be submitted in autumn 2026, once all the feedback from this engagement has been reviewed.